


Tales of Agartha: Lay the Sun Low

by KnightWithAPassion



Series: Tales of Agartha [1]
Category: The Secret World
Genre: Cults, Gen, Horror, Signalpunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27523978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightWithAPassion/pseuds/KnightWithAPassion
Summary: A raid against a cult hideout that has begun to meddle in affairs too large for its shoes.
Series: Tales of Agartha [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011687
Kudos: 1





	Tales of Agartha: Lay the Sun Low

**Author's Note:**

> A brief short to showcase part of the magic system that my primary fic is based off.

“Don’t move. Move, and we will open fire.” The two thugs barked at the lone man approaching the abandoned warehouse. 

“Easy guys, easy.” Archie raised his hands in surrender. He shrugged his shoulders casually before he spoke up again. “I’m here for the meeting. I’m from another sect and was told to attend tonight.” 

“Which sect?” The larger guard piped up, his gun still raised but his stance relaxed considerably. 

Archie took a step forward, his hands still raised. “Sol Forti, down in Brooklyn. Can I put these down now?” 

The two guards share a look before they lower their weapons. “Head on in, Flamen Holmes has already started.” 

Archie let out a relieved sigh as he moved into the warehouse. His nostrils were immediately met with incense and gun oil. Beyond the antechamber filled with firearms, explosives, and religious missives, the main floor of the warehouse was littered with stacks of supplies and over a dozen men praying to an ornate sun icon—the brand of the Sol Invictus. 

Archie slipped through the crowd and entered what used to be the manager's office. Inside was a man draped in an ornate robe and two bodyguards, both of which held an automatic rifle. Behind the men lay an altar dominated by a corpse dressed in a blue trench coat embossed with a large triangle on its hip

“Flamen Crispin Holmes.” Archie closed the office door, the old hinges protested in an unhealthy shriek. “The Butcher of Agloe.” He locked the door. “Priest of Sol.” He took a step forward towards the trio of men. “If only you lived up to your reputation." 

Archie reached into his pocket and pulled out a bloody package, discarding it onto the ground between him and Holmes. “Zhang sends her regards.” 

Holmes looked down at the bloody rags as it unravelled. Cradled in the sticky cloth was a finger that still bore a ring, embossed with the brand of the Sol Invictus. The Priest reached for his own hand, and his fingers fell on an identical ring. He looked up from the signet, his face an equal mix of confusion, rage, and fear. “Who are you to meddle with our affairs?” 

“Me? I’m no-one.” Archie reached down and unbuckled a small cloth cover on his belt, revealing a porcelain mask depicting a red-skinned devil with large ivory tusks. “My masters, however, are people you don’t want to piss off. They don’t like it when people start to step on their toes.” Archie pulled the collar of his leather jacket down to reveal a deep blue tattoo over his collarbone. A triangle with an eye at its heart. “You really shouldn’t have blown up our warehouse.” 

Holmes inhaled to retort, and was cut off by Archie. The newcomer slammed his hands together as the eyes of his mask glowed with jade fire, his hands wreathed in energy of the same hue. His hands shook as they struggled to contain the raw, unstable Chaos energy. Archie directed the energy towards the cultists and threw one of the bodyguards into the wall, the skin of his face decomposing where the energy blast hit him. 

Archie spun on the spot, the recoil of the first attack propelling him around. As he turned, a knife made of emerald energy materialised in his hand. Once he faced the cultists, the knife flew from his hands and embedded itself in the gut of the remaining guard, the skin around the wound corroding as the blade faded from existence. The man crumpled to the ground as he cradled the wound. 

Archie slammed his hands onto the ground in front of him and sent a pulse of energy towards Holmes. The concrete under his feet melted away as two jade chains erupted from the ground and coiled around the Flamen’s legs and chest. The skin and garb under the chains began to smoke as the chains ate at its prisoner. 

“Now, let’s get this over and done with.” Archie moved towards the cult leader with cold calm. He pressed his hands together and took a deep breath before he parted them, a thread of woven green wire in his grip. Holmes backed away from the attacker, his back against the altar. Archie grappled the terrified man and wrapped the wire around his neck, the two layers of wire gagging him as his skin began to dissolve. 

The cult leader struggled in his grip as he could feel the life drain from his body. Archie could feel his hands burn as the wire began to dissolve his flesh. He took a deep breath and willed the hungry energy tame. The Agent tightened the wire. He could feel the grip of his control begin to loosen. There was movement from outside as Holmes' struggle got weaker. Then the Flamen went limp. 

The wire that held the deceased cultists dematerialised and the body fell limp to the ground. He retrieved both cult leader rings before he tapped on the skin behind his jaw. A familiar click rang in his ear to confirm the connection. 

“This is Agent Beasley, identification code Alpha, Tango, three five nine. Kirsten, you copy?” 

“I hear you, Kid. What’s the four-one-one?” A woman’s voice sounded back directly into his eardrum. 

“I’ve taken out the cult leader. Going to need a cleanup crew after I’m done here. Bring the mops, it’ll be pretty messy.” He tapped his communicator again to kill the connection as the banging on the door began to get more aggressive. He materialised a whip in either hand and faced the door, waiting for the cultists to break it down.


End file.
